Parents’ Jury Survey on Junk Food Marketing September 2018

The survey

Main findings

Parents’ concern about junk food marketing

The impact of advertising on children’s food choices

Marketing methods of greatest concern to parents

How often are children being targeted?

What changes do parents want to see?

Parents’ Jury verdict

Appendix: Parents’ Jury survey responses about their children

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Contents

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140 parents, guardians and carers from across the UK took part in an online survey via SurveyMonkey between 16 April and 30 June 2018. They represented a total of 241 children whose ages were evenly spread from 2-17 years old: 33% were aged 2-5 years old, 41% aged 6-10 years old and 26% aged 11-17 years old.

All regions were represented but the South East (25%), London (23%) and the South West (15%) were most well-represented. 90% of parents were women and just over half (51%) were aged 35-44. Their education levels varied greatly from 5% leaving education straight after GCSEs to 11% with doctorates or further professional qualifications. A significant amount (36%) had completed an undergraduate degree. Most parents regularly shopped at a variety of national supermarket brands with Sainsbury’s (52%), Tesco (51%) and Waitrose (46%) coming out on top.

Parents were supplied with the following definition of Junk Food Marketing prior to answering questions: “Junk Food Marketing refers to the marketing of unhealthy foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt, e.g. fast-food, sweets and chocolates, crisps or other sugary and salty snacks or drinks.”

For multiple choice questions, answer options were randomized to reduce bias, so the order presented in the charts does not necessarily reflect the original order seen by those taking the survey.

Study limitationsThe survey was self-selecting with parents, guardians and carers signing up to the Children’s Food Campaign’s Parents’ Jury, or other children’s health campaign groups’ communication channels. Therefore parents are likely to already take an interest or hold concerns about these issues.

The survey

TerminologyThe survey was specifically aimed at parents, guardians and carers of children aged 2-17 on either a full-time or part-time basis. For the purposes of this report, references to ‘parents’ should be understood as an abbreviated reference to all types of carer. We screened out any responses from adults without children, or with only children under 2, who are less likely to be expressing clear preferences as a result of exposure to food marketing.

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Main findingsMost parents told us they are concerned that junk food advertising is having a significant impact on their children’s food choices. Many reported that their children were regularly being targeted and as a result increasingly associated unhealthy foods with treats and rewards, and asked for the brands they saw, making it harder for them to encourage healthy eating habits.

• 93% said they are concerned about the effect of junk food marketing on their children, with 56% describing themselves as extremely concerned.

• 51% of parents said that their children’s food preferences are influenced a lot or a great deal by promotions or marketing they have seen.

• 81% had seen junk food adverts or marketing targeting their children within the last 2-3 weeks, and over 50% had seen one in the previous 24 hours.

• 87% said there are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for companies to advertise products high in fat, salt or sugar to children.

• 87% agree that the government should introduce a 9pm watershed for advertising foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.

• More than 90% said they would support bans on junk food marketing through sport sponsorship, advergames and cartoon characters.

• 74% of parents say current rules for protecting children from exposure to junk food advertising and marketing are not good enough.

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The majority of parents (93%) are concerned about the impact of junk food marketing on their children, with 56% saying they are extremely concerned. Whilst it is likely that participation in the survey appealed most to parents who are concerned about the subject matter, nevertheless this is a clear indication that junk food marketing poses problems for parents.

Parents’ concern about junk food marketing

Parents voiced their concerns about bringing up their children in unhealthy food environments and how much work it meant they had to do in order to counteract the messaging.

My son is out of control when it comes to junk food. There is junk food marketed and promoted almost everywhere we go. It has robbed me of the joy of bringing up my son, and is causing a great deal of stress, as well as health problems for my son. My son has tantrums if he can’t have the junk food being marketed and promoted to him. I have been bitten, hit and scratched by my son in his battle to get me to cave in to what he craves.Female with a 6 year old, South West

I have to work hard to counteract the marketing of junk food to my kids. Through TV and public advertising, sports and events. It takes considerable time and energy to explain why it is that they are not allowed these foods (often when their peers are).Female with a 7 and 9 year old, South East

My kids have tantrums in the supermarket over which cereal to choose because they only want the one with the free spoon or whatever despite it costing three times as much as the shop own brand which I would usually buy. I now don’t take my kids food shopping with me when I

Figure 1: How concerned are you about junk food marketing to children?

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can avoid it as they are sucked in by absolutely everything, most of all the awful sweets and displays of chocolates by the tills, my toddler emptied an entire display into my trolley whilst I was putting the shopping into bags last week, I hate it.Female with a 3, 7 and 9 year old, South East

I keep them well away from it. But as they get older I expect I’ll lose that control.Female with a 3 and 6 year old, London

If it were a treat it would not be a problem but he wants it often in preference to real food. I refuse and it causes arguments.Female with a 14 year old, South East

Families struggle every day to say no to their children. We just want more we can say yes to. It is so exhausting saying no all the time and creates unnecessary arguments and tensions between parents and children.Female with a 4, 8 and 10 year old, South East

They also showed concern about the unhealthiness of the food marketed to their children:

When offered a treat in a shop she will ask for “the chocolate lolly with paw patrol on” pretty sure if it was an apple with a cartoon sticker on she would

choose that. However, I am positive about the removal of a lot of this junk from the till area. It has been replaced with healthier items.Female parent with a 4 year old, North West

I’d like to see more sugar free options like no added sugar sweetened yoghurt with cartoon characters, but the only flavoured yoghurts I can buy with artificial sweeteners instead of sugar are in the adult selection which means my children can’t have Peppa or Thomas the tank engine and the yoghurts are a silly size. When I asked at the supermarket they said they don’t prioritise sugar free options for children, this was in both Tesco and Sainsbury’s.Female with a 4 and 7 year old, London

Parents also expressed personal opinions about the responsibility of companies involved in the advertising campaigns they are seeing:

I just think it’s totally immoral.Female with a 5 and 11 year old, North West.

Million dollar budgets on how best to market products at children tells you that companies don’t care about their customers as long as you buy their product.Female with a 4, 8 and 10 year old, South East

However, some parents saw these adverts as educational opportunities and felt that they were able to counteract the effects:

[I am] able to explain to him about natural food and hidden sugar. He is very good at looking at ingredients to see hidden sugar in products.Female with a 9 year old, South West

I try to keep children away from marketing. We don’t have a television which helps.Female with a 3 and 6 year old, South East

It provides an opportunity for discussions around what is actually healthy and what the marketing is doing, so in one sense it is helpful for the children to understand the magnetic effect it can have and that this is something they need to be aware of as in all areas of life.Female with a 7, 10 and 13 year old, South West

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Parents were asked how much junk food advertising impacts on their children’s food choices:

The impact of advertising on children’s food choices

Several parents added comments about how advertising made children more familiar with junk food branding and how that consequently encouraged them to request those foods.

I am careful about the level of exposure my daughter has had to advertising and junk food marketing, but that is increasingly hard as she gets older. However when she HAS seen colourful ads, featuring cartoon characters and catchy music, or packaging featuring appealing child-friendly designs with cartoons etc, she definitely shows more interest in those foods.Female with a 10 year old, South East

Figure 2: To what degree do you believe your child/children’s food preferences are influenced by promotions or marketing that they have seen?

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Amount parents believe their child/children's food preferences influenced

My children quote adverts on products we don’t buy.Female with a 7, 9 and 10 year old, North West

My daughter sees the adverts on the TV, then constantly badgers me about buying those things.Female with a 10 year old, West Midlands

They ask for foods when they see them advertised especially in shops, even if they are not hungry or otherwise thinking about food.Female with an 8 and 11 year old, South West

There is something about the culture of junk food that seems to seep through and grab them.Female with a 12, 13 and 17 year old, London

I find the children’s pictures on all of the unhealthy cereals really annoying as my children instantly want them and I have to explain how bad companies want to make money by putting pictures on sugary cereals to make children want them even though they are bad for them.Female with a 5 and 8 year old, East England

They know all about junk food and how bad it is but when they see adverts for food they like, they still comment on how much they would like it even though they are not allowed it.Female with two 12 year olds, South West

Degree of influence

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Figure 3: Please indicate how much you think Junk Food Marketing influences your child/children in any of the following ways

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Effect of Junk food marketing on children

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Parents were also asked how the junk food advertising affected their children’s choices:

Effects:

A = Encourages my children to ask

for the specific products being

advertised

B = Makes it more difficult to encourage

healthy eating

C = Increases my children's preference

for these types of food

D = Encourages more snacking habits

E = Increases the amount my child eats

F = Encourages my child to associate

unhealthy food with treats, rewards

and special occasions

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Figure 4: Which type of advertising and marketing targeting children are you most concerned about? (Please choose up to 3)

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Types of advertising

Parents were asked to identify the three marketing methods targeting children which most concerned them from the following list:

Types of advertising:

A = TV adverts (including online catch up)

B = Website advertising (and online search engines)

C = Social media channels (eg Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat)

D = Video streaming channels (eg Youtube)

E = Adverts shown at the cinema

F = Outdoor advertising (billboards, bus shelters, side of vehicles, station platforms etc)

G = Popular children’s TV/film characters in promotions and product packaging

H = Brand-owned characters (eg Coco Pops Monkey) in promotions and product packaging

I = Children’s toys sold with unhealthy products

J = Product displays and packaging in-store

K = Sponsorship of music or sporting activities and clubs

L = Promotions or sponsorship in schools

M = Other

Marketing methods of greatest concern to parents

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Many parents provided additional comments detailing the impact some of these methods have on their children’s food choices:

TV adverts (56% of votes)

My kids absorb so much from TVMale with two 4 year olds, Yorkshire and the Humber

They only watch limited TV that does not contain adverts to in that way they are largely shielded from marketing influences.Female with a 2 and 5 year old, East England

Popular children’s TV/film characters on promotions and packaging (49% of votes)

By using characters from television shows or movies on the junk food, they make the junk food extremely desirable for that reason alone.Female with a 3 and 5 year old, London

If there’s a food/movie character tie in eg Minions, Star Wars. My 6 year old will want ‘that’ brand, regardless of whether he likes the product or not…Female with a 6 year old, Northern Ireland

Cartoon characters promoting junk food is an easy sell for these huge corporations and they don’t care about the long term effect this will have on our children’s health in the future.Female with a 7, 10 and 13 year old, South West

My daughter is just waking up to marketing, but has already started requesting products because they have TV characters she recognises on them – Peter Rabbit chocolate, for example.Female with a 3 year old, Scotland

Marketing that includes cartoon characters is hugely influential and gets my kids to want to eat any rubbish processed food.Female with a 4 and 8 year old, London

Kinder eggs with Disney princesses on them catch my children’s attention immediately.Female with a 3 and 5 year old, London

Children’s toys sold with unhealthy products (29% of votes)

Being rewarded with little toys creates a lasting memory and is a big influence in their preferences.Female with a 5 and 8 year old, North West

Even though we have never been at McDonalds my kids know they offer toys with a kids meal and are always pestering me to go.Female with a 4 and 8 year old, London

Chooses food not that bothered about just to get the toy/promotion.Female with a 10 year old, West Midlands

Easter was really difficult as she saw the Peter Rabbit toys and other gifts with the eggs and that was all she wanted.Parent with a 3 year old, London

McDonald’s Happy Meals - we’re vegetarian - there are no children’s options for us there, but my son still desperately wants to go there, simply because he wants the toy. He’s not remotely interested in burgers and chips but really wants to go to McDonalds.Female with a 5 year old, Yorkshire and The Humber

McDonald’s kids’ meal with the toy is a great favourite, one that is hard to avoid.Female with a 3 and 6 year old, East

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Product placement and promotions

There was repeated concern about the ways in which junk food is promoted in supermarkets, cinemas and other places children spend time:

Supermarkets having ‘kids’ food sections that are unhealthy, such as sugary cereals.Mother of a 2 and 5 year old, South West

Products high in sugar and food colouring with cartoons and children’s characters placed at children’s eye line level in supermarketMother of 6, 11, 13, 15, and 16 year old, Yorkshire and The Humber

Stop having sweets at supermarket checkouts. It’s so invasive - kids always want these things and it’s placed at such a difficult point in the shopping process where one is ‘stuck’ waiting.Female with 5 year old, West Midlands

Brands creeping into shows like Coronation Street that have never advertised. Things like park events that have Coke sponsorship giving it away. Wuntu app giving away free pizza to anyone with a three phone.Female with two 15 year olds, North East

Vending machines at a children’s indoor play area, a self certified ‘healthy cafe’ in the local gym/ pool, selling chupa chups lollipops, sweets and crisps.Female with a 5, 6 and 10year old, East Midlands

When we went to the Olympics my children asked for a McDonald’s despite us never having taken them there before, because the logo was everywhere.Female with a 3, 7 and 9 year old, South East

Other marketing methods which caused great concern among parents

Parents also cited examples of where they had seen junk food marketing targeting children or children were being exposed and encouraged to eat junk food.

Unhealthy products being marketed as a healthy or responsible choice

Many parents were concerned by the numbers of products which marketed themselves as being healthy but contained unhealthy ingredients, or which sought to create associations with responsible parenting:

Food being advertised as low fat and low sugar and being full of chemicalsFemale with a 6, 8 and 15 year old, West Midlands

So called health cereals and yogurts which have a lot of sugar in them.Female with a 9 year old, South West

Particularly annoys me the spin junk food manufacturers and outlets put on their stuff being healthy.Female with a 15 year old, London

McDonalds, the new advert with the single Dad clearly associates McDonalds with demonstrating love for your child.Female with a 16 year old, East Midlands

Children’s programming and social media

Many parents expressed concern over the adverts that their children see on social media and when watching TV programmes and YouTube.

We usually watch recorded TV programmes with ads deleted except for Ant and Dec’s Saturday night Takeaway & Britain’s Got Talent. Their ads are promoting unhealthy food choices.Male with a 5, 7, 10 and 12 year old, Northern Ireland.

Certain food products are advertised at peak times when children are home from school and if they watch TV they see the adverts and then request these food products on an accompanied shopping trip.Female with an 11 year old, South West

Kinder eggs seem to be regularly used in random Youtube videos... E.g. Learn to count, or learn colours.Male with a 2 year old, London.

My kids like watching YouTube kids. These YouTube ‘stars’ are often promoting unhealthy sugar fat and salt filled foods, normalising them, making them ‘cool’.Female with a 7 and 9 year old, South East

We don’t have a TV which helps but adverts in between popular YouTube clips are concerning and when they build McDonalds and other fast food outlets into YouTube amateur child video narratives. That’s scary!Female with a 4 year old, London

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Make Scottish schools best practice zones: schools are currently providing Yazoo milkshakes to children and … allow children to bring HFSS snacks and lunches in.Female with a 3 year old, Scotland (abridged).

Schools need to do more to keep junk food off their sites. Sometimes the packaging is a marketing tool, and when you have a playground full of kids eating Walker’s crisps etc at break time, that also acts as a marketing tool for the companies. Teachers also hand out sweets like packets of Haribo which can be seen as a form of marketing to kids.Female with a 5 and 11 year old, North West

General children’s food environment

Many parents expressed concern over the food environment and the feeling of being unable to escape the junk food messaging.

Junk food has become everyday it’s promoted everywhere TV, papers, social media and unfortunately children do not know where their food comes from or what has been put into these types of food. Fast food is now filled with all sorts of nasty’s which are not shown or promoted on packaging!Male with a 2, 9 and 11 year old, South East

It’s the general environment that children are surrounded in. You can’t go anywhere that doesn’t involve huge amounts of takeaway stores and fast food restaurants.Female with a 4, 8 and 10 year old, South East

Tie-ins with schoolsMany expressed concern that children were exposed to junk food at school – and sometimes this is where parents felt children were learning to associate junk food with good behaviour.

I have found it very difficult to encourage healthy eating. My son doesn’t get his five a day or sufficient fibre - he is filling up on unhealthy junk food, even at school.Female with a 6 year old, South West

More health information in schools, all schools to ban high fat sugar foods from sale on their premises including vending machines.Female with an 11 year old, South West

Even school sports clubs are rewarding with branded sweetsFemale with a 4, 8 and 10 year old, South East.

Much of the influence comes indirectly through school where other children are strongly influenced in their eating and attitudes towards what is ‘cool’ through advertising and marketing.Female with a 5 year old and an 8 year old, East England

2x ice cream vans outside my kids school every dayFemale with a 3 and 6 year old, London

Ban schools selling/serving any junk food and school rules over content of pack lunches brought in.Female with a 15 year old, London

It’s inescapable and has been weaved into every aspect of our lives. It has now become the norm to eat crisps, chocolate and sweets every day. Billboards, TV, internet, magazines, schools. Nowhere is a junk free zone!Female with a 7, 10 and 13 year old, South West

From individuals to youth clubs, we still see sweets etc as treats.Female with a 6 and 8 year old, South West

Marketing in and outside of the supermarkets is the kind my children see the most when we go food shopping. As they are still young I can monitor what TV they watch so it’s mostly when we are out and about.Female with a 2 and 4 year old, South East

[Junk food] is too readily available, too aggressively advertised and we are in denial of the effects this junk has on our children and ourselves.Female with a 2 and 12 year old, South West

Normalisation of junk food for every day use instead of as part of an occasional celebration.Female with a 7, 9 and 10 year old, North West

The market is saturated with this type of marketing; it normalises abnormal eating patterns. Children do not grow up exposed to messages and images in society that normalise a healthy balanced eating pattern.Female with a 7 and 10 year old, Yorkshire and the Humber

I think it normalises what should not be normal, and it makes it harder to convince children that they shouldn’t be eating that food routinely.Female with a 5 and 11 year old North West

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Most parents agreed that their children were regularly targeted by junk food marketing. More than half (51%) said they had seen a junk food advert or marketing practice targeting their children within the past 24 hours. 30% said within the past week and 6% said within the last 2 or 3 weeks.

How often are children being targeted?

Figure 5: When did you last come across a junk food advert or marketing practice targeting your children?

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They were then asked what they think of the current rules and regulations for protecting children from junk food marketing and advertising – 74% said that current rules are not good enough.

Figure 6: What do you think about the rules and regulations for protecting children from junk food marketing and advertising?

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Parents' response

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Better Government Policies Most parents were strongly supportive of the measures that MPs were considering to tackle junk food advertising targeting children as shown in the table below. In particular:

What changes do parents want to see?

Figure 7: Here are some other ideas for restricting children’s exposure to junk food marketing. Please indicate the degree to which you support or oppose these possible new measures by the Government

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Possible Government measures

Strongly support Slightly support Neither support nor oppose Slightly oppose Strongly oppose

Possible government measures:

A = A 24 hour ban on all junk food advertising on TV (eg more than just a 9pm watershed)

B = Rules preventing junk food brands creating advergames and mobile apps specially for

children

C = Compulsory ‘traffic light’ nutritional labelling for all food products (coloured labels are

currently voluntary)

D = A ban on child-friendly cartoon characters (TV, film or brand-owned) on all unhealthy

food packaging

E = A ban on children’s toys being sold alongside unhealthy food (eg confectionery, fast

food meal deals)

F = An end to celebrity endorsements of junk food (eg Gary Lineker and Walker’s Crisps)

G = New planning regulations to prevent the spread of unhealthy hot-food takeaways near

to schools

H = An end to junk food sponsorship of sports teams and stadiums

I = New rules to prevent price promotions aimed at getting people to choose larger sizes or

multiple amounts of junk food (eg. Buy one get one free, half price offers etc)

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9pm watershed Before being asked their thoughts on the 9pm watershed policy, parents were provided with the following short introduction: “Rules for TV advertising currently prevent companies from advertising junk food on dedicated children’s channels, or alongside programming where the audience is more than one quarter children. However, they do not currently apply to adverts during breaks on Saturday evening family shows such as X factor, Britain’s Got Talent etc. which are also watched by many children.”

Figure 8: Do you agree or disagree that the Government should introduce a 9pm watershed for all advertising for foods that are high in fat, sugar or salt?

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Parents' responses

Better education on food at school

Teaching them awareness and ‘advertising defence’ at school (I have been doing this recently) and making them feel angry at being manipulated so that any adverts evoke negative emotions (as they do in me) and make people less likely to buy that product - this makes the advert ‘backfire’!Female with an 8 and 11 year old, South West

There needs to be an educational programme delivered through schools & sports clubs where the teachers, coaches & kids are all taught about processed foods and healthy choices. Schools & clubs should not give kids junk ‘treats’ under any circumstances.Male with a 5, 7, 10 and 12 year old, Northern Ireland

Changes to general food environment

All junk food advertising on billboards or anywhere around towns and cities should go, even if they are not directly aimed at children. The landscape we surround our children with needs to be a healthy one.Female parent with a 4, 8 and 10 year old, South East

However, many parents told us they wanted the policies to go further with many suggesting key action in the following areas:

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For supermarkets to remove till centre sales of sweets, parents can avoid the confectionary aisle in the shop if they do not want to purchase but then the children see sweets at the till and can embarrass parents into buying treat to avoid a tantrum.Female parent with an 11 year old, South West

Plain packaging on all junk food in supermarkets - wouldn’t it be amazing if processed foods had to be in plain packaging like cigarettes and the only colour was the fruit, veggies, meat, fish, and other unprocessed foods? Take away leaflets have to be black and white only with no pictures. A complete ban on food advertising unless it is unprocessed food. Take Away shops to have frosted glass windows with no menus outside and a ban on serving take away and all junk food to under 16’s (like they have with cigarettes and may do soon with energy drinks). No vending machines with junk food in in places where families/children go such as leisure centres/swimming pools and schools. A blanket ban on junk food in all schools including chips, muffins, cookies etcFemale with two 12 year olds, South West

Generally speaking, I believe that junk food should be treated the same as cigarettes. Mostly for children, as they have fewer tools to protect themselves against its influence, but not just.Female with an 8, 10 and 12 year old, South West

Locals (Mc Colls) near schools should move further away.Female with a 13 year old, South East

Changes to packaging of junk food

A bit extreme perhaps but replace the friendly monkey in coco pops with bland packaging as a minimum and even a health warning because sugar kills just as surely as tobacco and alcohol can!Female with a 3 year old, Scotland

All promotions of unhealthy foods should come with health warnings. eg. This food is high in fat and sugar and should not be consumed regularly or in large quantities. Also if it has a health claim the unhealthy facts should have equal prominence. E.g. if it says “good source of iron” it should also say “High in sugar” in equivalent text size and placement.Female with a 5 year old and 8 year old, East England

I feel that junk food should be treated as cigarettes are at present: labelled with examples of morbid obesity, complications and diabetes, pictures of patients with dementia or heart surgery. It should only be allowed for people over 18.Female with a 2 and 12 year old, South West

Education for parents

Empower parents who currently feel unable to say “no”! Use the power of marketing to deliver / endorse promotional messages to encourage healthier lifestyle choices.Female with a 4 and 7 year old, West Midlands

Parents have the biggest role to play here - so the greater the education to them on this subject, the more likely they will make better consumer choices on behalf of their children. A 2 year old isn’t choosing to buy the junk food are they?Female with a 2 year old and 5 year old, East England

Positive advertising of healthier products

Positive reinforcement of other healthy products not just about banning but wider society education and plans implemented; like in Finland.Female with a 6 and 8 year old, South West

I think making bad foods less accessible is only part of the problem. We need to make fruit, vegetables and high protein food easier to buy and promote more, not as healthy options but as a standard that everyone is expected to adhere to.Female with a 2, 3, 8 and 17 year old, South West

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Parents’ Jury verdict

Most parents did not think there were any circumstances in which it is acceptable to advertise products high in fat, salt or sugar to children, but parents expressed a much higher degree of concern about sugary foods than products higher in fat:

How can it be acceptable?Female with an 8 year old child, South East

No, there is no dietary need for these items, so there is no need to advertise them at all. For children or adults.Female with a 3, 7 and 9 year old, South East

I am uncomfortable banning advertising of foods that are legal and which many people enjoy. We don’t have to buy them! Just eat them less.Female with an 8 and 17 year old, Scotland

Figure 9: Do you think there are any circumstances in which it is acceptable for companies to advertise products high in fat, salt or sugar to children?

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Parents' responses

I would have no problem in seeing foods high in fat (unsalted nuts, artisan cheese, olive oil) marketed to children as I do not consider these to be unhealthy. Fat needs to stop being lumped with high salt and sugar.Female with a 2 and 5 year old, East England

If the fats are healthy I have no problem with high fat or salt, it’s not in the same class as sugar which I’d never give my kids.Female with a 4 and 7 year old, London

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Appendix: Parents’ Jury survey responses about their childrenFigure 10: How many children are you parent/guardian/carer for (either full-time or part-time) in your household (aged 2-17 only)?

Figure 11: What are the ages of your children?

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Number of children

2 years9%

3 years7%

4 years7%

5 years9%

6 years9%

7 years9%

8 years10%

9 years6%

10 years7%

11 years5%

12 years7%

13 years4%

14 years2%

15 years4%

16 years5%

17 years0%

2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years 6 years 7 years 8 years 9 years

10 years 11 years 12 years 13 years 14 years 15 years 16 years 17 years

24

Figure 12: Thinking about the past week, which of the following food or drink items has your child/children consumed?

HFSS Food groups:

A Sugary drinks (eg cola, lemonade etc)

B Hot fast food (eg burgers, fried chicken, chips)

C Other types of takeaway meals (eg Chinese, Indian, kebab)

D Savoury snacks (eg crisps, pasties/pies, sausage roll)

E Confectionery (eg sweets or chocolate)

F Ice cream

G Bakery items (eg cakes, biscuits, muffins)

H Sugary breakfast cereal (eg Coco Pops, Fruit Loops, Frosties etc)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

A B C D E F G H

Perc

enta

ge o

f par

ticia

pant

s' ch

ildre

n (%

)

HFSS food groups

Every day Several times

Once a week Not in the past week

Never eats/drinks these products Don’t know/prefer not to say

25

Figure 13: Which of the following statements best represents your child/children’s food consumption overall

Statements:

A I am concerned that my children eat far too much unhealthy food

B I am slightly concerned that my children might be eating a little too much unhealthy food

C My children occasionally eat unhealthy foods but overall I am happy they have a fairly balanced diet

D My children rarely eat sugary or unhealthy foods and overall has a very healthy diet

E Other

Figure 14: Does your child (or any of your children) own or have access to any of the following devices?

9

26

54

74

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

A B C D E

Perc

enta

ge o

f par

ents

(%)

Statements

0102030405060708090

100

A smartphone withinternet access

A tablet, laptop orPC with internet

access

A TV A games console(eg Xbox, Wii) withaccess to internet)

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

(%)

Devices

Figure 14: Does your child (or any of your children) own or have access to any of the following devices?

In communal space In their bedroom Does not have access

Parents’ Jury Survey on Junk Food Marketing September 2018

Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the living and working environment, enrich society and culture, and promote equity. It represents around 100 national public interest organisations working at international, national, regional and local level.

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